One not so good thing going on...

[katphyre]

It's a long story and too hard to write about yet, but two weeks ago my son Jacob made the choice to go and live with my sister who is about 45 minutes away from us. He's 12. My heart is breaking into a million stabbing shards and there's nothing I can do about because right now I want him to see that I recognize the problems he has here, and

Comments

[bojojoti]

Growing up is so hard to do. Those middle school years are brutal, and most kids just flail. For some reason, it is just easier for many kids to disengage from their normal household and integrate into another. The entitlement attitude disappears in another household. Instead of expecting everything done for them, they now appreciate and understand that they can't expect things.

The last two summers, our daughter practically lived with another family and rarely came home. We don't have unreasonable restrictions, and our home is a pretty happy place. I just think it's part of the process of growing up and separating from the parental units. Ironically, at the same time, we had another family's child living with us and thinking we were wonderful people, so where's the logic in that?

I know it is hard when your child prefers being somewhere else. It hurts. Keep loving your son, and allow him this freedom without begrudging him. Let him know that you want him to be happy. If you force him to return, his unhappiness can poison your entire family. That's something you'll have to decide at the end of the summer how best to handle.